Cavaliers boys make it worth the wait

Published: Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 01:06 AM.

ELON — After spending enough time watching every other area team begin its season, Tuesday night finally marked the season opener for the Cummings High School boys’ basketball team.

Fighting through a few anxious moments, Cummings trailed for less than a minute and cruised to a 62-40 victory against Western Alamance.

“We’ve been practicing for awhile now,” said Cavaliers senior Dedric Bowman, who had a game-high 14 points. “This was a big game for us. They swept us last year 2-0. This was our first game of the season and we just wanted to come out and make a statement.”

That statement was made early, with Cummings scoring 12 straight points after Western Alamance’s T.J. Harris scored the game’s first basket. Bowman scored the last seven points of that initial burst.

Keith McAdoo added 11 points for Cummings. Bowman and McAdoo each hit three of the Cavaliers’ 10 3-pointers.

Harris led Western Alamance (0-3) with 12 points. But the host Warriors went more than six minutes without scoring in the first quarter. They cut the Cavaliers’ lead to nine twice in the second quarter but were never within less than 10 in the second half.

“Their defense was pretty doggone good,” Western Alamance coach Carter Gerlach said. “We fumbled the ball a couple times, I would assume that’s because they made us fumble it.”

ELON — After spending enough time watching every other area team begin its season, Tuesday night finally marked the season opener for the Cummings High School boys’ basketball team.

Fighting through a few anxious moments, Cummings trailed for less than a minute and cruised to a 62-40 victory against Western Alamance.

“We’ve been practicing for awhile now,” said Cavaliers senior Dedric Bowman, who had a game-high 14 points. “This was a big game for us. They swept us last year 2-0. This was our first game of the season and we just wanted to come out and make a statement.”

That statement was made early, with Cummings scoring 12 straight points after Western Alamance’s T.J. Harris scored the game’s first basket. Bowman scored the last seven points of that initial burst.

Keith McAdoo added 11 points for Cummings. Bowman and McAdoo each hit three of the Cavaliers’ 10 3-pointers.

Harris led Western Alamance (0-3) with 12 points. But the host Warriors went more than six minutes without scoring in the first quarter. They cut the Cavaliers’ lead to nine twice in the second quarter but were never within less than 10 in the second half.

“Their defense was pretty doggone good,” Western Alamance coach Carter Gerlach said. “We fumbled the ball a couple times, I would assume that’s because they made us fumble it.”

Cummings was able to stymie Western Alamance to the point of forcing 11 turnovers in the first half alone.

With that defensive effort, Cavaliers coach Chas Criss was encouraged with his team’s first game.

“We defended pretty well. Ten points a quarter, we’ll win a lot of games if we do that,” Criss said.

Helping that is a somewhat different look for Cummings, especially inside.

The Cavaliers boast a pair of space-eaters — Will Richardson and Josh Murray — at forward, and at times played together. Richardson is a standout offensive lineman for Cummings in football and Murray stands at about 6-foot-8.

Although the pair combined for just nine points on Tuesday night, their highlights came with blocked shots and rebounds on the defensive end.

“We’re a lot bigger (than last year),” Criss said. “A lot more physical, more aggressive. Hopefully, we can continue to rebound.”

That’s not to say there wasn’t at least one offensive highlight provided by the newly found size for the Cavaliers. The first play of the fourth quarter saw Murray soar from the right side of the lane for a two-handed dunk that drew a well-traveled Cummings crowd out of its seats.

For Western Alamance, Gerlach said his team’s winless start has more to do with a lack of confidence.

“Our guys played hard … we just don’t play with confidence right now,” Gerlach said. “We’re going to try to get better and keep getting after it.”